Devices for carbonating beverages in the home have been known for some time. They provide the consumer with an inexpensive means of carbonating normally flat beverages, such as water, juices, etc., to make homemade soda.
Commonly, home carbonators employ a pressurized carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) cartridge with a seal at one end that is punctured to release a gas into a container or bottle in order to carbonate the beverage within. The CO.sub.2 within the cartridge is stored at pressures up to approximately 850 psi, and thus the bottle for storing the liquid to be carbonated must be a fairly heavy, thick-walled apparatus. Such systems were and are commonly used to make seltzer water. However, such heavy pressure bottles are expensive and relatively awkward to handle.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,940 to Child, et al. discloses an appliance for making an aerated beverage utilizing a source of carbon dioxide and a pressure-regulating valve to limit the pressure within the bottle to a predetermined pressure limit, at which point the source CO.sub.2 gas is vented with a whistling sound. This appliance has several drawbacks, not the least of which is the wasteful venting of the source gas upon reaching the predetermined pressure. Additionally, the device is housed in a relatively cumbersome package, which precludes easy portability.
In addition to a device which carbonates otherwise flat beverages, a need exists for a simple device to re-pressurize carbonated beverages after they have been opened by the consumer. Currently, carbonated beverages are sold in a variety of containers, ranging from 10-ounce to bulk-size one-, two- and three-liter thin-walled plastic bottles. For the consumer, the most cost-efficient size is the large economy bottle. However, unless the contents are consumed quickly, the quality of the carbonation is greatly reduced, as the CO.sub.2 gas above the liquid escapes every time the bottle cap is opened. The CO.sub.2 within the liquid then bubbles out due to the reduced CO.sub.2 vapor pressure above the surface of the liquid, causing the remaining beverage to go flat. Commonly, a portion of the remaining flat contents is thrown away. It would be desirable to be able to recharge these economy-size soda bottles with CO.sub.2 in order to maintain the carbonation of the beverage. A carbonation apparatus in this case would need to limit the pressure level within the plastic bottle to pressures on the order of 70 psi in order to ensure the plastic does not rupture.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,209, issued to Santoiemmo, a portable carbonating device is shown having a pressurizer with an internal regulator for attaching to the top of a liquid-filled bottle to dispense CO.sub.2 therein. The CO.sub.2 is supplied from a disposable cartridge, which is pierced by a needle to deliver gas through the regulator valve and into the bottle. The regulator valve is mounted within a housing which has internal threads for mating with the external threads of the bottle and also a series of external threads on the upper end for mating with a cartridge-enclosing cap. In an alternative embodiment, the device utilizes a tire needle valve for retaining the CO.sub.2 within the cartridge between uses. However, after introducing CO.sub.2 to a bottle containing a liquid, it is intended that the entire device remain on the bottle for the pressure above the liquid to be maintained until the liquid has absorbed the CO.sub.2. The device cannot be removed, for example, to pressurize a different bottle since that would release the pressure above the liquid, thus defeating the purpose of the device.
Aerosol cans are another separate but related product-line which are an extremely wasteful example of packaging and would benefit from some mode of recycling of the containers. The typical aerosol can is filled with a small quantity of hair spray, whipped cream, furniture polish, etc. and thrown away after emptying the contents within. It would be highly beneficial to the environment, as well as less expensive for the consumer, to provide an apparatus for the consumer to pressurize their own aerosol substances. One attempt at this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,978 to Knopf. This patent shows a device for recharging canisters filled with whipped cream. An end plug having a valve assembly mounted within is threaded into the neck of a container holding the whipped cream. A connecting socket is then screwed onto a male thread portion of the valve assembly, the connecting socket being adapted to receive a neck of a gas cartridge which is screwed thereon with the use of an outer housing. The gas cartridge is pierced by a needle within the connecting socket, and the entire contents of the cartridge are allowed to bleed into the container. Unfortunately, this is a single-use CO.sub.2 cartridge application with the inherent risk of over-pressurizing the container, causing a rupture.
Thus, a need exists for an improved hand-held carbonating device for safely pressurizing various types of liquid substances.